Fastening-inserting machine



' Feb. 11, 1930. N. H. :KNOWLTON 1,746,262

FASTENING INSERTINGMACHINE Original Filed Dec. 6' 1919 Fig.7. .z/ T F.

Patented Feb. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NORWOOD H. KNOWLTON, OF ROCKPOR'I', MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY FASTENING-INSERTING MACHINE Original application filed December 6, 1919, Serial No. 342,935. Divided and this application filed July 28,

This invention relates to machines for insertlng separate fastenings and particularly to mechanisms for holding tacks and similar fastenings prior to and during the action of a driver for inserting them.

For the purpose of explanation, an embodiment of the invention is herein illustrated as applied to an assembling machine of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,541,823, granted June 16, 1925, on my application, and in my application Serial No. 342,935, filed December 6, 1919, of which this application is a division.

Objects of the invention are to improve tack-holding mechanism while retaining all the valuable and desirable features of prior mechanisms for this purpose.

Features of the invention consist in tackholding fingers which, without being pivoted to each other or to their support, are so formed and so mounted on their support that they rock about edges remote from the delivery ends of the fingers to permit passage of the tack and driver. In the illustrated construction, the fingers are held on their support by resilient means, which means comprises a single spring having two legs which embrace the fingers and their support and hold the fingers in place thereon. The spring, as illustrated, may be so formed that the legs are normally crossed and the spring may be placed in position by engaging the ends of the legs with the fingers and then rotating the spring in the proper direction about an axis to cause the legs to become parallel, whereupon the spring may be pushed into position resiliently to hold the fingers on the support. The spring preferably forms the sole means for retaining the fingers in operative position so that by removal of the spring the fingers may be taken off for inspection or renewal.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front view of a portion of a a machine having tackers equipped with th present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the tack fingers of one of the tackers and their supp Serial No. 208,935.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the spring shown in Fig. 2 when detached;

Fig. 4 is an exploded view in perspective of tack-holding fingers with which another tacker on the machine is equipped;

Fig. 5 is a sectional viewin assembled po- ,sition of the parts shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and the parts associated therewith; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail of parts shown in Fig. 6.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, the numerals 10 and 12 indicate the frames or supports of tackers having drivers 13 and 15 which insert tacks vertically into the shoe bottom, and 14 and 16 indicate sliding abutments for the rear end of the shoe through which tacks are inserted horizontally into the shoe adjacent to the back seam.

The lower end of each tacker frame or support 10, 12 is formed, as shown in Fig. 2, with a reduced rectangular portion 20 which is embraced by lateral extensions 22, 24 from tack fingers 26, 28, the inner faces of the lateral portions being cut away to form a space 30 to fit the reduced portion 20 of the tacker frame. The fingers are held together and upon the support by a spring 34 having normally the shape shown in Fig. 3. Grooves 36 are formed on opposite faces of the lateral extensions 22, 24 of the tack fingers to receive the legs of the spring 34. In assembling the fingers the spring is removed, the fingers separated and placed about the reduced portion 20. The spring 34, which upon removal assumes the shape shown in Fig. 3, is then placed with the end of one of the legs in each of the grooves 36. The loop of the spring the tack fingers than prior constructions. When the spring is removed the fingers are entirely unconnected and hence they can be assembled upon and removed from the machine with great facility; particularly when the spring is arranged as shown with its legs normally crossed, it can, by manipulating it u described, be placed in operative relation to the fingers very easily.

An improved construction of the end tacker mechanisms is shown in Figs. 4 to 7. The abutment 14 of the upper rear tacker is mounted for sliding movement in the machine frame substantially horizontally and a tacker member or frame 40 is pivoted to the abutment slide 14 by a pin 42 about which it may be adjusted to vary the position of the tack relatively to a slot 44 in the V-shaped face of the abutment 14 against which the shoe is pressed, and which acts to centralize the shoe laterally. The slot 44 extending through the V-shaped face of the slide 14 through which the tack is driven is laterally elongated. Adjustment of the frame 40 about the pin 42 therefore varies the position of the tack relatively to the back seam of the shoe and is effected by a screw 48 which is threaded through a lug 50 on the tacker frame and bears against a face 52 of the slide 14. A leaf spring 54 is secured at one end to the slide 14 and at its other end bears on the head of the screw 48 to hold the screw against the face 52, the spring also engaging a groove in the head of the screw 48 to hold it from being turned accidentally.

Heretofore the tack fingers of the rear end tackers of this machine have been of very fragile construction and frequent breakage has resulted. In the present construction tack fingers of substantial construction similar in principle to those described for the counter tackers are provided. as shown particularly in Figs. 4 and 5. The forward end of the tacker member 40 is reduced to form a tack nozzle 56 which extends between two tack fingers 58, 60 formed as shown in the exploded view of Fig. 4. The tack fingers have lateral projections 62, 64 which are cut away at 66 to embrace a rectangular portion 68 of the tacker member 40 formed to receive them. The projections 62. 64 are positioned one-on each side of the portion 68 and a spring 70 is applied with its ends in suitable grooves 72 in the projections, there be ing de ressions 74 in the grooves to receive inward y bentends of the spring yieldingly to hold the spring in position. From Fig. 5 it will be seen that the inner faces 76 of the projections 62, 64 are beveled so that as a driver 7 8 forces a tack between. them they will turn on the inner corners 80 of the proecti ons against the action of the spring 70 and allow the tack and driver to pass through. By this wrist ruction of the tack fingers the he]! is guided with certainty and precision,

breakage is avoided, and the fingers may be readily renewed when worn. The construction of the lower rear tacker mechanism 16 is substantially similar to that of the upper rear tacker mechanism just described, some of the parts being reversed in position for convenience of access.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combinaiton of a driver, a frame for guiding the driver in its operating movements, and a pair of tack fingers mounted on the frame and having edges engaging the frame. each of said fingers being constructed and arranged for rocking movement on the edge en gaging the frame when the fingers are separated by action of the driver.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a frame for guiding the driver in its operative movement, and a pair of tack fingers each having a portion extending laterally of the direction of movement of the driver, said portions engaging grooves in the frame and having edges remote from the tack-delivering ends of the fingers about which the fingers can rock to permit passage of the tack and driver.

3. In a machine of the class described. the combination of a frame for guiding the driver, in its operative movement, a pair of tack fingers each having a portion extending laterally of the direction of movement of the driver, said portions engaging grooves in the frame and having edges remote from the tackdelivering ends of the fingers about which the fingers can rock to permit passage of the tack and driver, and a spring for holding the tingers in the grooves.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a driver, a frame for guiding the driver in its operating movement, a pair of tack fingers each having a flat portion engaging a, groove in the frame, each finger being mounted for rocking movement about an edge of said portion, and a single means for yieldingly holding both fingers in their grooves.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a driver, a frame for guiding the driver in its operating movement, a pair of unconnected tack fingers each having a portion engaging a groove in the frame and constructed and arranged for rocking movement therein, and a spring having opposed ends arranged with one of its ends engaging each of said fingers and constituting the sole means for holding the fingers on the frame.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a driver, a member having means for guiding the driver in its operative movement, a pair of tack fingers each constructed and arranged for rocking movement on one of its edges when the jaws are opened by the passage of the driver, and yielding means for holding the fingers closed.

7 In a machine of the class described, the combination of a tacker for securing the upper to the rear end of the last having a nozzle through which tacks are driven, tack jaws embracing said nozzle and formed on plates, said plates being offset in the direction of drive from the jaws and arranged to rock on their edges remote from the jaws to allow the aws to open to permit passage of the driver, and a spring to hold the jaws yieldingly closed.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a driver, a member having means for guiding the driver in its operative movement, a pair of plates embracing said member having opposed ends forming tack jaws co-operating to position a tack in alinement with the driver, and a spring for holding the plates on the member, each of said plates being constructed and arranged for rocking movement on one of its edges when the jaws are opened by the passage of the driver.

9. In a machine of the class described, the combination with means for holding an up per in assembled relation upon a last and a tacker for securing the upper in assembled relation, of tack aw plates, a member having a passage for the driver and grooved to re ceive the plates in said grooves, said plates having their opposed ends formed to provide a tack pocket and arranged to be held in place by pressure on the outer faces of the plates, a spring having straight legs adapted to press against the opposite faces of the plates, said spring, before application to the plates, having a normal position with its legs crossed and adapted to be applied in position to hold the plates by initially embracing the plates with the legs in crossed position and then turning the spring about an axis to cause the legs'to become parallel, and then pushing the spring lengthwise in position relatively to the plates.

10. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a tacker frame having a passage for a driver, a driver in said passage,

opposed members constituting tack fingers constructed and arranged to be held by spring pressure upon. said frame, and a spring having extended straight legs normally crossed and constructed and arranged to be brought into operative position to hold the members upon said frame by rotative movement of said legs to uncross them after introduction of the spring.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

NORIVOOD H. KNOWLTON. 

